I know I did. As I got a bit older, and more aware of the world around me, I found it less painful to write those dreaded compositions.
However, keep in mind that there were no computers back then, and all my research had to be done at the school or public library.
My family certainly didn’t own encyclopedias, and neither did any of my friends’ families. Money was scarce back then, as it is now, and splurging on such luxuries as reference books was just not possible, no matter how much guilt the door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen tried to throw at our parents.
Thinking back, I bet if my teachers had given me writing assignments about topics I either liked or at least knew something about, I may have been a lot more gung-ho about my homework.
During my elementary and junior high days, we students were usually assigned writing projects like a one-page, hand-written paper on “What I did over the summer.” Other times we had to complete book reports or compose some kind of an essay on American history.
I think if I could have written about something like maybe my pet cat or dog or favorite wild animal, I would have enjoyed the task, used my best penmanship and turned it in before it was due.
Luckily, youngsters who live in this area will have the opportunity to write an essay or poem about the topic of animals. In fact, those who participate in Friends of the Long Beach Animals’ (FOLBA’s) 2016 Student Essay/Poetry Contest will have the chance to receive some well earned praise, and maybe even some cash prizes.
Note: For those baby boomers out there, you may remember a 1958 episode of the television program Leave it to Beaver in which the main character, Beaver Cleaver, had to write a poem for school.
His dad wrote it for him, Beaver turned it in and won a prize, and then he had to give it back because he hadn’t written it himself. I found the precious poem online at imdb.com .
The Bear: I would like to be a bear, gay and happy free from care / That’s the life like no other, climbing trees with my mother / Though they call me beast of rage, I’ve never put things in a cage / Or set a trap since time’s begun, or shot a human with a gun.
Anyway, below are the details for the contest:
This year’s theme: “Be Kind to Animals”
Due date: June 1, 2016
Three cash prizes for each grade category
1st prize: $100
2nd prize: $75
3rd prize: $50
One entry per student. One page only, up to 250 words. Elementary and middle school students only.
Be sure to include: first and last name, home address, telephone, grade level, school name.
Send entry via email to: Deborah Turner at deborah@folba.org no later than midnight on June 1, 2016.
All winners will receive award certificates.
All participants will receive certificates of participation.
Winners will be contacted by June 10, 2016 and will be invited to read their essays/poems at the FOLBA membership meeting on Thursday, June 16. Additionally, winning essays/poetry will be published on the FOLBA website.
For more information, contact Deborah Turner at deborah@folba.org .
